News

It’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this fall and winter. Healthcare systems could be overwhelmed treating both patients with flu and patients with COVID-19. This means getting a flu vaccine during 2020-21 is more important than ever.

Five Canadian men—all members of Canadian’s Church of Christ congregation— joined the relief efforts in Lake Charles, Louisiana, following last month’s devastation from Hurricane Laura. Winds of up to 150 mph caused widespread power outages and flooding, killing at least 10 people and causing about $25 billion in damage.

Canadian firefighters, and Hemphill County EMS and law enforcement were dispatched around 9 pm Monday evening to two-vehicle accident near the Y intersection of US 83 and SH 33 north of town. The accident involved a 2012 Toyota Sequoia, driven by Kathi Bagley of Pampa, which was headed north on US 83. Bagley attempted to make a left turn and struck the right side of a 2014 Kenworth semi-tractor which was also northbound on the inside lane of US 83. The collision ruptured the right fuel tank of the semi, which was driven by John Rausch of Altus, Oklahoma. No injuries were reported. Northbound traffic on US 60/83 was temporarily delayed while firefighters cleaned debris from the roadway, and hosed down the fuel that had spilled.

A recently-discovered error in the city of Canadian’s billing process resulted in a failure to bill most commercial accounts for sewer service over the last eight months, and a loss of $116,000 in revenue.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is moving forward with plans to host a modified version of the annual Fall Foliage Festival. This year, the event will take place over the course of one day, Saturday, Oct. 17.

In the last week, the Hemphill County Hospital District has reported results of eleven new positive cases of CO- VID-19, two involving residents of Hemphill County, and nine involving non-county residents.

In the Sept. 15 meeting of the Hemphill County Hospital Board, the directors approved a $19.9 million budget and the effective tax rate for fiscal year 2021, and instituted daily rate increases for both Mesa View Assisted Living and the new Mesa View Senior Living.

County commissioners concluded their fiscal year 2020-21 planning process Monday morning with a quick review of final amendments to the proposed $8.16 million budget, followed by a required public hearing—which elicited no public comment—and a unanimous vote to adopt it.

In the first hearings since the COVID shutdown in last spring, six cases were adjudicated in Hemphill County Court last week. County Attorney Kyle Miller reported that the following cases were heard on Tuesday and Friday.